Amateur uses ChatGPT to solve 60-year-old math problem, surprising experts

By PulseAugur Editorial · [8 sources] · 2026-04-25 17:40

A 23-year-old amateur mathematician named Liam Price has solved a 60-year-old mathematical problem, known as an Erdős problem, using ChatGPT. Price, who has no advanced mathematics training, reportedly used a single prompt on GPT-5.4 Pro to arrive at the solution. This advance is notable because it appears to utilize a novel method for such problems, potentially offering broader applications beyond mathematics, and has surprised experts like Terence Tao. AI

IMPACT Demonstrates AI's potential to uncover novel mathematical approaches, potentially accelerating research across various fields.

RANK_REASON An amateur used a widely available AI tool to solve a long-standing academic problem, generating interest in academic circles.

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AI-generated summary · Google Gemini · from 8 sources. How we write summaries →

How we ranked this

Signal score: 0 / 100; Composite score across the factors below. Higher = stronger signal that this story matters right now.
Newsworthiness bucket: Research; An amateur used a widely available AI tool to solve a long-standing academic problem, generating interest in academic circles.
Source corroboration: 8 independent sources; Strong cross-source corroboration — multiple independent publishers covered this within the clustering window.
Topics: paper, product; Editorial topic classification. Feeds into how the story surfaces on /topic/<slug> hub pages and into the per-entity coverage mix.
AI-industry relevance: High; Clearly on-topic for AI-industry coverage.
Story freshness: 154 days old; Aged out of breaking-news scoring windows; ranking reflects the durable signal from the full source set.
Coverage growth since scoring: +2 source(s) since last score; New sources have picked up this story since our last re-score. Score will update on the next scoring pass.

Full methodology in our editorial standards.

COVERAGE [8]

Mastodon — sigmoid.social TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] · 2026-05-02 19:10

An Amateur with no advanced Mathematics Training has just solved a 60-year-old Erdős Problem with the Help of ChatGPT # AI # Maths # Erdos https://www. scientif

An Amateur with no advanced Mathematics Training has just solved a 60-year-old Erdős Problem with the Help of ChatGPT # AI # Maths # Erdos https://www. scientificamerican.com/article /amateur-armed-with-chatgpt-vibe-maths-a-60-year-old-problem/
Mastodon — sigmoid.social TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] · 2026-04-28 14:04

Even experts are surprised by AI’s latest ‘vibe-mathing’ advance. Via @scientific_american #AI #ArtificialIntelligence 💻 🤖 🧠 Even experts are surprised by ...

Even experts are surprised by AI’s latest ‘vibe-mathing’ advance. Via @scientific_american #AI #ArtificialIntelligence 💻 🤖 🧠 Even experts are surprised by ...

LINKS scientificamerican.com/…/amateur-armed-wi…
Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] · 2026-04-28 21:37

I suggest anyone skeptical of AI, take a look again. Things change every few months. The # AI Revolution in Math Has Arrived https://www. quantamagazine.org/the

I suggest anyone skeptical of AI, take a look again. Things change every few months. The # AI Revolution in Math Has Arrived https://www. quantamagazine.org/the-ai-revo lution-in-math-has-arrived-20260413/
Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 日本語(JA) · [email protected] · 2026-04-28 07:12

The power of AI is terrifying! 🤯 A 23-year-old amateur solved a 60-year-old difficult problem with ChatGPT...🤯 The world of mathematics may also change significantly! ✨ #AI #Mathematics #ChatGPT

AIの力、恐るべし！🤯 60年越しの難問を23歳のアマチュアがChatGPTで解決とは…🤯 数学の世界も大きく変わるかもね！✨ # AI # 数学 # ChatGPT
Mastodon — mastodon.social TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] · 2026-04-28 14:04

Even experts are surprised by AI’s latest ‘vibe-mathing’ advance. Via @scientific_american #AI #ArtificialIntelligence 💻 🤖 🧠 Even experts are surprised by ...

Even experts are surprised by AI’s latest ‘vibe-mathing’ advance. Via @scientific_american #AI #ArtificialIntelligence 💻 🤖 🧠 Even experts are surprised by ...

LINKS scientificamerican.com/…/amateur-armed-wi…
Mastodon — mastodon.social TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] · 2026-04-26 20:50

🤖 An amateur just solved a 60-year-old math problem—by asking AI submitted by /u/simulated-souls [link] [comments] 📰 Source: Artificial Intelligence (AI) 🔗 Link

🤖 An amateur just solved a 60-year-old math problem—by asking AI submitted by /u/simulated-souls [link] [comments] 📰 Source: Artificial Intelligence (AI) 🔗 Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/artificial/comments/1swi8f9/an_amateur_just_solved_a_60yearold_math_problemby/ # AI # Artific…

LINKS reddit.com/…/an_amateur_just_solved_a_60y…
Mastodon — mastodon.social TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] · 2026-04-26 19:10

Even experts are surprised by AI’s latest ‘vibe-mathing’ advance https://www. scientificamerican.com/article /amateur-armed-with-chatgpt-vibe-maths-a-60-year-ol

Even experts are surprised by AI’s latest ‘vibe-mathing’ advance https://www. scientificamerican.com/article /amateur-armed-with-chatgpt-vibe-maths-a-60-year-old-problem/ # ai 🔮🧠🤦🏻‍♂️
Mastodon — mastodon.social TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] · 2026-04-25 17:40

Amateur armed with ChatGPT solves an Erdős problem https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/amateur-armed-with-chatgpt-vibe-maths-a-60-year-old-problem/ # Hac

Amateur armed with ChatGPT solves an Erdős problem https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/amateur-armed-with-chatgpt-vibe-maths-a-60-year-old-problem/ # HackerNews # Tech # AI

LINKS scientificamerican.com/…/amateur-armed-wi…

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COVERAGE [8]

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